


Bryce Versus The Real Chuck

by ChokolatteJedi



Category: Chuck (TV)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Altered Mental States, Episode Tag, Episode: s01e10 Chuck Versus The Nemesis, Gen, Government Agencies, Government Conspiracy, Hospitalization, Hurt No Comfort, Mental Instability, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Psychological Torture, Spies & Secret Agents, The Intersect (Chuck)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-08-05
Updated: 2009-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:14:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28871397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChokolatteJedi/pseuds/ChokolatteJedi
Summary: Bryce isn't sure how much time passes after the ambulance. He wakes briefly, getting bits and snatches: there are always more questions, more demands. Faces and voices flash in and out, till he can no longer tell what is real and what is not.
Kudos: 4





	Bryce Versus The Real Chuck

Bryce isn't sure how much time passes after the ambulance. He wakes briefly, getting bits and snatches: there are always more questions, more demands. Faces and voices flash in and out, till he can no longer tell what is real and what is not.

He sees Sarah, Chuck, Carina, Tommy, his parents, old friends, fellow spies, double agents… people he thought were straight appear and demand to know if Fulcrum has been compromised. People he knew had never been recruited appeared in classified areas and asked him about his past ops. Memories fuzzed and blurred over time, until he isn't positive if he is Larkin or Anderson or Collins or someone else entirely.

Bryce thinks he held strong, thinks he refused to break under this strange mental torture, but he can't be certain. Except for his need to protect the Intersect, and his need to protect Chuck, Bryce can't be certain of anything anymore.

The first sign that his situation has changed is the lack of pain. While Fulcrum had him his brain was constantly under fire, combatting whatever chemicals they thought would make him spill his guts. The pain in his body came and went, but his brain was always in agony.

Except now. Right now his headache is gone, just faint remnants that brush against him every once in a while. Bryce knows enough from his training to realize that nerves that have been abused so much will still send phantom signals. The fact that he is in so little pain makes it likely that, not only is he not being fed interrogative drugs, he might even be on painkillers.

He never loses sight of the fact that this might be part of a longer play.

When Bryce cracks his eyes, he sees a white medical cell. He uses tiny flinches to determine that his wrists and ankles are all strapped down. His feet are bare, but he's wearing what he assumes are scrubs. When he breathes deeply and starts going through the typical motions of waking, the pain does not return. They must know he is conscious, but they don't immediately move to sedate or interrogate him.

Someone approaches, he can feel their presence coming, but instead of an explosion of new pain, a quiet voice asks "Are you still in pain?"

Bryce has very few options: if this is Fulcrum he can't risk giving anything away. If this is the CIA they may or may not know why he has done it — they may think him a traitor or may be waiting for an explanation. He could ask for Sarah, but she might be compromised too. After all, Bryce didn't realize that he was working for traitors until it was too late. Or she might be in on it; he vividly recalls her interrogating him earlier. They may or may not know about Chuck, regardless of their agenda.

Chuck's name sets off a lightbulb for Bryce. He knows how to determine where he is and who he is with. Chuck is a civilian, he shouldn't be part of either Fulcrum or the CIA. That's one of the reasons Bryce sent him the Intersect in the first place. Otherwise Bryce would be happier if they never knew his name. If Bryce asks for Chuck, the CIA might send for him, provided they can find him. Fulcrum wouldn't have hesitated to kill Chuck if they knew about him, and if they don't, then a simple name from a delirious man wouldn't narrow it down. Chuck is an older man's name — Fulcrum could bring in someone to pretend, thinking he'll slip up.

Bryce knows he isn't completely thinking clearly, but if he can talk to the real Chuck, Bryce can figure out some of what is going on, and move on from there. Just saying his name shouldn't be enough to hurt him.

"I'd like to speak with Chuck," he whispers.

Fulcrum doesn't know Chuck — well, maybe they do — but they could only fake his look, not his mind. The CIA does know about Chuck, probably, and can fake his look too. But they might also bring the real Chuck in. If there still is a real Chuck. Bryce has a hazy memory of Chuck being shot once when he wouldn't talk, but like everything else since his capture Bryce isn't sure what is and isn't real.

"Did you say Chuck?" the nurse asks. Or, at least, the person pretending to be a nurse does.

Bryce says nothing else. She's got the name right, so he doesn't need to confirm it. If he's in the right hands, they'll know the connection. If he's in the wrong ones, he'd rather them think he's still delirious. He can make up another name next time.

Time passes, and Bryce refuses to speak. He drifts in and out of consciousness, but the pain never returns, probably from the regular shots the nurse-or-pretend-nurse gives him. The disjointed memories do return, and for a while Bryce isn't sure if he's in the medical cell or back in the warehouse Fulcrum had held him in. Or possibly in the student health center at Stanford, with Chuck beside him, fretting over a sprained wrist that he claims is from a friendly game of quad football because he can't explain about agent training.

They do something to the bed, and Bryce is sitting upright. He's still restrained, which is only a minor problem. He could break out, but there's no point until he knows for sure what is happening. The nurse is late and his headache is coming back; he can't bring himself to hold his head up. He slumps forward, doing his best to think — to plan — for a threat he can't quite remember.

Finally the nurse comes back and asks how he's doing. Bryce decides to test her by asking if she can turn down the lights. She doesn't, but injects him with something that seems to be the painkiller, as the headache disappears. He doesn't lean back — doesn't want them to know how much he appreciates it — but thinking is easier now. He's still trying to analyze their reaction to try to work out who has him when the door opens.

This has happened before, but only when the nurse enters and exits, and she appears to be on a regular schedule. Not only did she just leave, but this person is hesitant, speaking quietly at the door and then shuffling inside. Pausing, breath speeding up, the reactions say it all. This isn't an agent.

"Who are you?" Bryce asks without looking up. He doesn't think they could have gotten Chuck so quickly, unless they already had him locked up too. He's sure it would be a matter of days, not a few hours.

"Hey," The voice is Chuck's, as Bryce secretly hoped, but he can't give in to that hope, not yet. He must continue to appear weak, defeated. If this is a test, Bryce can't give away the truth. "It's me, Chuck."

Bryce risks a glance, and it certainly looks like Chuck, but so did the men torturing him. "I don't believe you. What did you do with the real Chuck?"

Fulcrum would protest, claim to be real. The CIA would probably do the same, but differently.

Chuck spins and walks towards the window. "I'd like to come out now please," he begs, like a civilian who doesn't belong in an Agency safehouse. Or like a prisoner placed in a room with a killer, who wants back to the safety of their own cell.

No one speaks or opens the door for him, and the now-more-likely-to-actually-be-Chuck spins back to Bryce. Bryce has continued to study him under the guise of confusion. They've got him in some kind of dress shirt that doesn't fit Bryce's memory of Chuck, but the shoes are right, and that small detail reassures him.

There's no bluster, and Bryce can hear the fear in his voice as Maybe-Chuck goes off about the Twilight Zone and clones. It all feels real, but Bryce can't risk it. "Prove it."

"tlhIngan Hol Dajatlh'a'?" _Do you speak Klingon?_ The real Chuck would know what it meant and could answer. The real Chuck could also use this moment to pass a message if he was in duress.

"Oh come on, they're watching us right now." Probable-Chuck protests. He could be embarrassed, but also fishing for instructions through an earpiece if he doesn't understand.

"Do it," Bryce growls. He needs to know if Chuck is real, then Bryce can figure out where they are and who knows what and how to escape. If Fulcrum has them, perhaps Bryce can use Chuck as a shield, or maybe the other way around. They will get out together, though.

Probable-Chuck slinks towards him. "HIja." _Yes._ "bIpIv'a' qatlho'." _Are you healthy, thanks?_ Not quite right, but nothing an imposter could manage. This is the real Chuck, he knows now. Though that slip up — is that a code? Is that his sign that Fulcrum has them? Bryce has always protected Chuck; he needed to keep doing that and get Chuck out of Fulcrum's hands.

Still, Bryce can't help but smirk. "Klingon's a bit rusty, Chuck."


End file.
